The Washington critic., 1887-01-20
WASHINGTON, JANUARY 20, 1887.
THE CENTENNIAL OF 80.

THE CENTENNIAL OF 80.
II may now he considered settled that
the Centennial of the Constitution, dat
ing from The Inauguration of the first
constitutionally elected President will
be appropriately celebrated under the
auspices of the Government In the
spring Of iss9-a year to be known
hereafter as the Jubilee Year OF the
Republic.
That the popular sentiment of the
country in favor of this movement is
practically unanimous we are already
assured. From the time its agitation
was first begun in the columns of THE
Critic, not II voice Of dissent to the
proposed commemoralion has been
heard 1t touches the patriotic i'm
pulses of the whole people. The Senate
responds with resolutions Of approval,
and takes intiaiory steps toward carry.
ing out this great National observance,
And now the President conveys to
Congress, with dignity and force be.
fitting SO noble theme, his unquali-
fed Endorsement Of The undertaking.
The preliminary arrangements and
details of the celebration will he in
trusted to a committee Of Senators aud
Representatives which we have every
reason to believe will be iuliciously
selected. They should be men of broad
and liberal views, thoroughly inOued
with the spirit of the occasion, and
fully comprehending the magnitude of
an event in which every citizen of the
United States is expected to participate.
Ii should also be taken into due con.
sideration that the adoption of the
Federal Constitution was fraught with
blessings to other nations than our
own. The success of that great politi
cal experiment has been the means OF
extending the principles Of civil liberty
throughout the Western Continent. 1t
has inspired many revolutions similar
10 that which wrought the indepen.
dence of the American colonies. II
has bred q new race of patriots on soils
that for centuries had known nothing
but despotism and vassalage. 1t has
resulted in supplanting iron.hanied
dynasties, maintained by conquest and
oppression, with republican iustitu-
tions, based upon the consent of the
governed and practically identical in
form and operation with he model OF
1850 from which they were patterned.
The citizens of the Republics that
have thus grown up under the benign
and illustrious example set by the Gov.
ernment of the United States - in
Mexico, in Central America, in South
America-are, therefore, entitled to be
our honored guests 4, the centennial
of constitution, in which they have
acquired so large an interest. Being
Leirs to the same liberty, they will
naturally desire to share in the com.
nemoration of its constitutional in
auguration.
The representatives Of most of these
governments have already signitied
their warm approval of the Centennial
project. They have also expressed
the further desire, in behalf of the bet
ter commercial relations Of the several
countries interested, to make some
substantial exhibit at Washington of
their respective resources and the prog
ress they have made in the arts of civ.
ilization. To what, II any, extent the
exercises of the Centennial should par.
take of an expositional character re
mains, of course for the committee OF
arrangements to determine; but In
view of the mutual advantages thai
would be certain to accrue from gen
oral international display, the subjec'
will doubtless be given the attention
its transcendent importance deserves
especially with reference to the Qualri
centennial 10 be celebrated three year
later. The commanding feature o
this, in all probability, will be the
opening of the grandest exposition tn,
world has ever witnessed.
For the present, let the intelllgen
action of Congress and the energetic
co operation Of press and people b.
concentrated upon the Centennial o.
the Constitution, that 1t may be worthy
in all respects of so memorable an an
niversary, and where not only crate
ful nation shall gather TO do homage t
the wisdom and patriotism of tn,
Fathers, but all who worship at tn,
same political shrine be welcom,
guests.